President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, during the first half of this year, devoted her time and efforts in visiting the provinces, holding Cabinet meetings, joint regional development council and peace and order council meetings, bringing the government closer to the people.

The President presided over the first Cabinet meeting of the year out of Malacaņang on January 4, at the Estosan Hotel in Cotabato City. She also formally installed elected Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) officials led by Governor Parouk Hussin in ceremonies held at the Shariff Kabunsuan Complex in Cotabato.

The President said the main objective of her frequent visits to Mindanao--the last one on December 19 in Iligan City--was to personally push for the speedy economic development of the region.

During the year, the President has been visiting fifth-class municipalities, those considered most-depressed areas, in various parts of the country.

During the first week on January, she visited Jovellar, located at the southwestern section of third district of the province of Albay, and brought cheers to the people there as she announced the construction and repair of the initial 10 kilometers of the 15-kilometer rough road from the towns of Guinobatan and Camalig to Jovellar.

The repair and construction of the road would facilitate the movement of vehicles used by commuters and the transport of food in the area.

In Rosario, Cavite, later the President distributed certificates of lot entitlement and certificates of occupancy to some 3,500 informal settler families occupying portions of the abandoned Filoil Refinery in the town.

During the year, the President has been visiting urban centers to launch her GMA Abot-Kayang Pabahay, a vital component of her government’s socialized housing program.

Since assuming the presidency on January 2001, the President has been distributing certificates of land entitlements to urban settlers in line with her administration’s continuing efforts to give shelter security to informal settlers, especially those living in idle government lands.

The President likewise visited beautiful provinces such as Biliran in an effort to spur tourism and development. Assisted by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina, Jr., the President awarded and distributed checks for livelihood and infrastructure projects in Biliran.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s security of land tenure program has benefited 657,609 families in the urban areas and countryside since she assumed office, giving them the opportunity to own land on which to build a home and earn a living.

This year alone, some 547,809 families have benefited from the close to 40 Proclamations, Executive Orders and Memoranda the President issued, declaring parcels of public or government lands as alienable and disposable for socialized housing. Last year, 109,800 families benefited from these presidential issuances.

In the National Capital Region (Metro Manila), a total of 344.61 hectares were allotted for the benefit of the poor. For the rest of the country, lots allotted for housing totaled 21,993.63 hectares.

From Day One, the President has prioritized housing and security of land tenure in her agenda of governance. Recently, she declared housing, a sector considered to effect the biggest multiplier, as one of the eight-point work programs she will focus on into the new year.

To own a home and lot has always been the dream of the Filipino. The President never fails to recall that during her visits to the countryside, even as Vice President, she often asked the people what they wanted most out of life. The common answer would be "pabahay."

That is why when she became President, she decided to make housing one of the priority programs of her administration.

According to the President, housing has been an age-old problem that has to be addressed with the dedication and cooperation of all, especially between the local and national governments.

The President said her administration’s target for housing for the urban poor has been met satisfactorily but there is still much to be desired.

In the National Capital Region alone, 54,260 families have been benefited by the socialized housing program of the President. The remaining 603,349 family beneficiaries are dispersed throughout the countryside.

The housing projects in the NCR include the DOTC Maritime Communication Project Site in Taguig—500 families; MIAA properties in Pasay City—3,300 families; Welfareville in Mandaluyong City—9,000 families; MIAA Employees Housing Project in Merville, Pasay City—1,000 families; Philippine Ports Authority Property in Parola, Tondo—10,000 families; Bgy. Escopa, Quezon City—1,800 families; NAPOCOR Property in Sitio Pajo, Quezon City—700 families; Bgy. Pineda in Pasig—1,300 families; BASECO in Port Area—5,000 families, Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig—2,500 families, BCDA properties in Fort Bonifacio—6,720 families; NAPOCOR Property in Muntinlupa—2,000 families; GSIS Property in Sampaloc, Manila—300 families; and the GSIS Property in Parola, Tondo—7,000 families.

Among the regions that benefited from the President’s National Housing Program were the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 7,800 families; Region IV—6,000 families; Region V—5,400 families; Region VI—7,000 families; Region VII—6,000 families; Region XI—400 families; CARAGA—1,500 families; All PNP Non-Core Properties in selected areas—65,000 families; and SPDA Property in Mindanao—2,000 families.

In terms of hectares allotted by the Macapagal-Arroyo Administration, there are about 344.61 hectares for the NCR alone. For the rest of the country, lots allotted for housing totaled 21,993.63 hectares.

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—Ecstatic vegetables farmers and traders here welcomed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo enthusiastically as they thanked her personally for protecting their welfare and putting a stop to rampant smuggling that had threatened their livelihood.

The President conducted a surprised inspection of the La Trinidad vegetables trading post where an P8-million cold storage facility will be put up by the Benguet provincial government with a P4-million assistance from President Macapagal-Arroyo.

"Maraming maraming salamat po. Dahil sa anti-smuggling campaign ninyo, mas maganda na ang presyo ng aming mga gulay (Thank you very much. Because of your anti-smuggling campaign, now we’re getting good prices for our vegetables)," a very pleased vegetable trader told President Macapagal-Arroyo as she entered the sprawling trading post.

The President informed farmers at the strawberry and vegetable fields a few minutes away from the trading post that the anti-smuggling task force headed by the chief of the Presidential Security Group, Brig. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, has apprehended four more container vans of smuggled vegetables after she ordered that all refrigerated vans at the Manila International Container Port be inspected.

The President ordered the automatic inspection of all refrigerated vans at the MICP as part of the campaign against smuggling, which in the past two months had already netted 40 container vans of smuggled vegetables.

She told the farmers that the smuggling activities was started by unscrupulous importers after a typhoon closed the Halsema Highway and importation was allowed to stabilize prices in the domestic market. Because of smuggling, the prices of local vegetables dropped and the livelihood of thousands of families in the region was threatened.

But farmers and traders in the region are now happy that President Macapagal-Arroyo has put a stop to the smuggling activities, Benguet Governor Raul Molintas told newsmen.

The vegetables farmers also responded ecstatically when the President told them that soon, they could sell their vegetables even during the lean months because of the new cold storage facility that would be put up in the trading post.

The President had ordered Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo to put up a chain of cold storage facilities from Benguet to Manila to ensure that farmers can get a good price for their products throughout the year.

Farmers in seven towns of Benguet, namely Atok, Buguias, Kibungan, Mankayan, Bakun, Kabayan and La Trinidad, would also be getting productivity loans from their municipal governments, which got P1 million each in loans from the President’s Social Fund.

She also rejected proposals to reduce the tariff on imported vegetables.

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—Policemen in the Cordilleras can now realize their dream of owning their own house and lot with the putting up of an P88-million housing project in Barangay Alno in this town.

President Macapagal-Arroyo conducted a surprise inspection of the housing project with Philippine National Police chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane, Benguet Governor Raul Molintas and La Trinidad Mayor Nestor Fongwan to see if the project initiated by the administration is proceeding well.

The President ordered Ebdane to make sure that enlisted police personnel are able to avail themselves of the housing privilege by making the housing units more affordable.

Two hundred ninety-two housing units will rise in the 2.2 hectare Alno Sunflower Homes, which is being financed by Pag-IBIG or the Home Mutual Development Fund. The housing project is one of several being put up by the PNP in the country for the benefit of policemen, Ebdane said.

From day one of her administration, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has prioritized housing and security of Land Tenure for Filipinos. The President has made housing as one of her eight-point work program she will put more energy on next year.

President Macapagal-Arroyo is also giving priority to housing because of its huge positive impact on the economy, as 57 downstream industries benefit from the housing industry.

While declaring that her administration’s target for housing has been met satisfactorily, the President stressed that there is still much to be done.

To own a house and lot has always been the dream of every Filipino, which the President, even when she was still the Vice-President had always elicited in conversations with ordinary Filipinos in her trip around the country.

This is the reason why the President speeded up the release of funds and processing of documents for the socialized housing program.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered all government agencies to focus their efforts in the New Year to the eight-point work program of the administration.

During an interview with The Working President anchorwoman Jolina Magdangal during the year-end edition of the TV program last Saturday (December 28), the President also directed all government agencies to make all their efforts in achieving the eight-point work program transparent.

The President’s eight-point work program covers the following: keep transportation fares down, reduce transport costs from Mindanao to Luzon, stimulate small and medium enterprises (SMEs), jumpstart housing, stimulate private investments in agriculture, continue building infrastructure to decongest Metro Manila, make the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) contribute to the fiscal resources, and make Makati City the shopping center of Asia.

According to the President, the eight-point work program is in line with her vision for a strong Republic.

The President said her hope for the coming year is for the Filipinos to work together to overcome any impending economic hardship because there is no certainty if the world economy can recover next year.

"Kaya hindi tayo nakakasiguro na iyong export na umangat ngayong taon na ito ay aangat muli next year. Kailangan tayo ay umasa sa sariling sikap, sa ating domestic demands (We can not be sure if the positive export earnings will be repeated next year. So we have to depend on our self-reliance, our domestic demands)," the President said.

To strengthen domestic demands, the President said there is a need to propagate the SMEs. To do this, the President added, the government, with the support of the private sector, is now revising the lending requirements of banks to SMEs.

This way, she said, loans will be made accessible not only to SMEs but to the countryside.

The President said it is her desire to jumpstart the propagation of SMEs that made her decide to launch in September the "One Town, One Product, One Million Peso" project.

Under the said project, municipalities all over the country are encouraged to select one product which they can best produce and they will be granted P1 million in loans for production purposes.

Aside from SMEs, the President said housing should also be prioritized because of its multiplier effect on the economy.